Thisexhibition has been made possible through the generous support of the American Antiquarian Society, Boston Public Library, Massachusetts Historical Society, and the following units of Boston College: the American Studies Program, College of Arts & Sciences,Institute for the Liberal Arts, and Newton College Alumnae Chair in Western Culture.

Website development was funded by an Academic Technology Innovation Grant from Boston College and the project was managed by Instructional Design and eTeaching Services.

An Exhibition at theBoston Public Library and Massachusetts Historical Society

March 28–July 30, 2012

The streets of Boston are haunted by the ghosts of forgotten writers and editors….read more

The streets of Boston are haunted by the ghosts of forgotten writers and editors. Unnoticed in the rush of pedestrians and traffic, they beckon us out into the city: to Federal Street where Boston’s first professional theater opened; to Court Street where a trendsetting magazine shaped the future of children’s literature; off Boylston Street where the man once known as the “banker-poet of Boston” is buried; to Devonshire Street where a Catholic newspaper turned to literature at a time of upheaval; and all along Washington Street, where the publishers of books, magazines, newspapers, and broadsides set up shop between the Revolution and the Civil War.

Created by Boston College faculty, students, and staff, and drawing on the collections of the Boston Public Library, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the American Antiquarian Society, this exhibition explores stories about Boston’s literary history that have faded from memory. Chapter One exhumes Charles Sprague, the poet buried on Boston Common. Chapter Two considers a problem faced by African American, women, and Irish authors. Chapter Three shares poems buried in early Boston magazines, some powerful enough to be treasures, some awkward enough to be turkeys. Chapter Four follows the rise of children’s literature in Boston. Chapter Five explores a little-known episode from Edgar Allan Poe’s career-long obsession with the Boston literati. And Chapter Six, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, looks at the first seasons of the Federal Street Theatre, 1794–98. Throughout, the exhibition follows the rise and fall of reputations, recovers out-of-print materials, and walks the streets of Boston in the heyday of its literary achievement.

An Exhibition at theBoston Public Library and Massachusetts Historical Society

March 28–July 30, 2012

The streets of Boston are haunted by the ghosts of forgotten writers and editors….read more

The streets of Boston are haunted by the ghosts of forgotten writers and editors. Unnoticed in the rush of pedestrians and traffic, they beckon us out into the city: to Federal Street where Boston’s first professional theater opened; to Court Street where a trendsetting magazine shaped the future of children’s literature; off Boylston Street where the man once known as the “banker-poet of Boston” is buried; to Devonshire Street where a Catholic newspaper turned to literature at a time of upheaval; and all along Washington Street, where the publishers of books, magazines, newspapers, and broadsides set up shop between the Revolution and the Civil War.

Created by Boston College faculty, students, and staff, and drawing on the collections of the Boston Public Library, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the American Antiquarian Society, this exhibition explores stories about Boston’s literary history that have faded from memory. Chapter One exhumes Charles Sprague, the poet buried on Boston Common. Chapter Two considers a problem faced by African American, women, and Irish authors. Chapter Three shares poems buried in early Boston magazines, some powerful enough to be treasures, some awkward enough to be turkeys. Chapter Four follows the rise of children’s literature in Boston. Chapter Five explores a little-known episode from Edgar Allan Poe’s career-long obsession with the Boston literati. And Chapter Six, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, looks at the first seasons of the Federal Street Theatre, 1794–98. Throughout, the exhibition follows the rise and fall of reputations, recovers out-of-print materials, and walks the streets of Boston in the heyday of its literary achievement.